A woman from Bowie, Md. was reportedly shot and killed by Miami police after driving into an officer on Sunday.

Author:
Stephanie Ramirez

Published:
4:14 PM EDT October 10, 2017

A woman from Bowie, Md. was reportedly shot and killed by Miami police after driving into an officer on Sunday.

On Monday night, the father of a 22-year-old Temple University transfer student named Cariann Hithon told WUSA9, “It's terrible. I mean you can't help but have quite a bit of despair and anguish.”

Cary Hithon, a retired Navy veteran, went on to describe these feelings saying, “cause you don't understand how it could happen."

"Out of character" is how he described the fatal shooting as more details on are emerging online. The shooting and some of its aftermath were captured on cell phone video and posted to Instagram.

Hithon said his daughter grew up in Bowie, Md. and was celebrating her 22nd birthday in Miami. On Sunday evening, Miami police say Hithon slammed into multiple cars with a BMW.

CBS Miami reported the following:

"Witnesses said Hithon was behind the wheel of a black BMW early Sunday evening around 6 p.m. when she crashed into a truck on 12th Street and Ocean Drive. She reportedly fled West and hit another vehicle on Lincoln Drive."

One witnesses also told CBS MIami, when he saw the suspect's face: "she had a wild, crazed expression."

A Bowie woman was shot & killed by police in Miami this past weekend. Tonight her father comments on what happened. Will have at 11p @wusa9pic.twitter.com/anJ7rFNHOC

In one of the Instagram videos posted, you see the smashed-in car. You also see a crowd surrounding the car. Someone yells to move out of the way -- another person yells towards the BMW to get out of the car.

“She was trying to run away,” an unidentified man yells.

Then the video shows the vehicle accelerate. It takes off and hits one officer. Then another officer opens fire on the 22-year-old. You can hear someone yelling at the officers in a second video posted online.

We don't know if Hithon's father saw these before we spoke. What he did say is:

"I believe that something was going on and to say what it was, maybe she did panic. There's no way of knowing that,” said Cary Hithon.

He also said unfortunately, we can’t get those answers because his daughter is no longer living.

The family says Hithon was an honor student at Hampton University before transferring to Temple University in Philadelphia. Cary Hithon says his daughter wanted to fight against social injustice as a lawyer and says she was also a mentor.

"We felt it was a lot of promise for her,” he said.

More recently, WUSA9 found an assault and battery charge that was not prosecuted and other traffic violations on the 22-year-old’s record.

There was a second person in the vehicle. Mr. Hithon says he did speak with the man.

On Monday night, Temple University’s Student Government Association released the following statement:

“TSG has been made aware of a tragic event in Miami, Florida that has claimed the life of one of our own,” the statement reads.

TSG praised Hithon’s work with mentorship programs for community children before she transferred to Temple, among her other leadership positions.

Hithon was shot and killed by police in Miami on Sunday evening. She is the third Temple student to die this semester, which has stretched just more than two months.

“This has been a painful semester, Owls. We know. We hear you. We see you. We support you,” TSG wrote.

Students who are impacted by Hithon’s death are encouraged to go to Tuttleman Counseling Services and individual TSG members are available to talk in Room 244 in the Student Center, according to the statement.

Mr. Hithon says he does not plan to go to Miami. He said he will be okay with what police tell him.